Practice device for baseball pitchers



Sept. 26, 1961 w. D. PRATT 3,001,790

PRACTICE DEVICE FOR BASEBALL PITCHERS Filed Dec. 22, 1959 i 2. 2 l 17 30 2a 15 AW INVENTOR iX\\\ {\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\N 17 17 Ii ran. fl l'uff F 3.

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' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,001,790 PRACTICE DEVICE FOR BASEBALL PITCHERS William D. Pratt, Forest Park, Ga. Filed Dec. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 861,730 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-26) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to practice devices for baseball or softball pitchers and/or to a game which may be played by a plurality of players in lieu of the usual pepper game but which will, at the same time provide worthwhile practice for those performing as pitchers and fielders, particularly infielders.

The greatest asset a baseball or softball pitcher can have is control or the ability to cause each pitch to travel to successively selected aiming points in or adjacent to an invisible target called the strike zone. The strike zone is defined by vertical parallel lines spaced apart the width of home plate and parallel horizontal lines which are spaced apart the distance between a batters knees and his shoulders. Thus, although the strike zone is constant as to width, it varies in height according to the height of the batter.

In the past, to enable a pitcher to practice without the aid of a catcher, targets representing average strike zones have been provided. These vary from openings the size of a strike zone in a vertical target, targets formed by cords or ropes arranged to define the limits of a strike zone, or simply planar targets of the size and shape of a strike zone. ;It is with the latter type of target that this invention is concerned. In that type of target, the ball rebounds more or less directly to the pitcher if it hits the target with the only variances being supplied by any slight angle from normal at which the ball strikes the target. Thus, a side arm pitch or a curve ball will strike the target at an angle of incidence from normal and will rebound therefrom at an opposite angle generally equal to the angle of incidence although slight variances will result in the instance of a curve ball on account of the excessive spin inherent in these pitches. However, the important thing is that with these planar targets, the angle of rebound is the same irrespective of what part of the target is hit. Thus, inside pitches rebound at the same angle ascenter or outside pitches and the same is true of high'or low pitches. Thus, the rebound is not a true. rebound because an inside pitch will normally be pulled to left field by a right hand batter, a center pitch will normally be hit to center field while an outside pitch will normally be hit to right field. -Likewise, a high pitch will normally result'in a fly ball, a waist high pitch will usually produce a line drive, while a low pitch will normally result in a ground ball, all going in directions according to whether they are inside, outside or in the center of the target.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved target for baseball or softball pitchers which will cause the ball to rebound in the manner expected of a batted ball according to whether or not the pitch is high, low, inside, outside or in the center.

A further object is to provide a rebounding type of target which represents an average strike zone and which includes a planar portion or panel centrally of the target which is bounded by rearwardly inclined border portions or panels.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the invention, the structure of the several elements of the same, combinations and sub-combinations of such elements with each other and/or with a ball diamond and the homeplate thereof, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention and to the following specification wherein the invention is described and' claimed.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a frontal elevational view of the invention showing the same applied to a ball diamond, the latter being shown fragmentarily with parts broken away;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged and partly broken away vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FlGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 33 of FIG- URE 1, parts being broken away.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, 10 generally indicates a baseball or softball diamond which includes a homeplate 11, third baseline 12, first baseline 13 and a pitchers box or rubber 14, the latter preferably being the legal distance frornhomeplate for either softball or baseball according to which sport is being practiced. However, these distances are critical only when a pitcher is actually practicing to improve his control. When the invention is being used as a substitute for a pepper game, the pitchers rubber may be eliminated and the ball pitched from any selected point in front of homeplate 11, which point will usually be closer than the legal distance to the pitchers box.

The invention itself, comprises a backstop 15 of any suitable size or shape which is considerably larger than the strike zone and which may be formed of any suitable material having sufficient strength to survive being repeatedly struck by a thrown ball. Preferably, backstop 15 should have a straight lower edge 16. In use, the lower edge 16 is placed on the ground so that its central portion extends across homeplate 11 in parallel relation to the pitchers rubber 14. Backstop 15 is supported in such position by any suitable props or the like, not shown. Although the backstop 15 is shown as being set up on an actual ball field, it is understood that it could .as well be hung on a wall either indoors or outside. In such instance, diamond 10 and its components 11-14 would be simulated by paint or other suitable marking material.

Backstop 15 mounts the target 17 of the invention in upwardly spaced relation to the lower edge 16 of the former and in a vertical plane. Target 17 may be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, metal or concrete. Preferablyit shouldbe hard and solid enough to insure a fast rebound. Of course, it should be strong enough to endure repeated hits 'by a ball. The outer surface should be smooth to avoid damaging the ball. The target 17 includes a central panel ,18-which is-planar and which is vertically disposed relativeto homeplate 11 and in parallel relation 'to the pitchers 'rubber 14. Central panel 18 is surrounded by border panels which are rearwardly inclined relative the central panel. In the embodiment illustrated, the target 17 is rectangular as is the central panel 18 which is centered thereon to provide upper and lower panels 19 and 20 respectively and side panels 21 and 22, all in the shape of isosceles trapezoids separated by rearwardly inclined ridges 23, 24, 25 and 26.

FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the manner in which a thrown ball will rebound from various areas of the target 17. Thus, a perfectly horizontal pitch which strikes the central panel 18 normal thereto will rebound along its line of approach as illustrated by the arrow 27. The same pitch thrown with a side arm motion, arrow 28 of FIGURE 3, will rebound as a line drive but at a slight horizontal angle. By the same token, an overhand pitch thrown low but striking the central panel 18, arrow 29 3 of FIGURE 2, rebounds as a hard grounder. Such rebounds would be true of any planar target but would occur from, any point on target. In the invention such rebounds occur only when they hit in the central panel 18, and represent the directions in which a batter would be expected to hit a thrown ball pitched to those areas of panel 18 in actual practice.

As seen in FIGURE 2, an underhand pitch, arrow 30, or anoverhand pitch, arrow 31, which strikes the upper border panel 19 will rebound as fiy balls rather than as line drives. Likewise, a low overhand pitch striking the lower border panel 20, arrow 32, rebounds as an easy ground ball rather than as a hard one.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3, an inside pitch to a right handed batter, either a right hand fast ball, arrow 33, or a left hand curve ball, arrow 34, which strikes the inside border panel 22 will rebound at various angles more or less along the third baseline 12. In like manner, an outside pitch such as a right hand curve which strikes the outside panel 21, arrow 35, will rebound generally along the first baseline 13.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the angles of rebound from the border panels 1922 or from the ridges 23-26 will vary greatly from the rebound angles which would occur from corresponding areas of a monoplanar target. Also, the rebounds from pitches striking such border panels or ridges are substantially what a batter would be expected to hit were he to bat such pitches. Thus, the rebounds are much more realistic than could be obtained from a monoplanar target. Likewise, by providing clearly defined border panels, the pitcher is not only provided with targets for pitching to the corners but knows immediately when he hits any such border panel because of the resultant wider angle of rebound.

A pitch which misses target 17 entirely will encounter the backstop 15 and will rebound therefrom. However, it is preferred that the backstop 15 be formed of material other than that forming the target 17 whereby it will have difierent rebounding characteristics. Thus, the backstop should be made of soft or padded material so that there would be little or no rebound therefrom. Hence, balls hitting the back-stop 15 will fall dead close to the same where they can be readily retrieved.

When used as a substitute for a pepper game, a number of players will align themselves between the baselines 12 and 13 about tweinty or thirty feet in front of the target. Then one player throws the ball in an eflort to make it rebound to another player either as a grounder, line drive or fly. As he keeps his target secret until he throws the ball, none of the other players know when the expect the ball or the type of rebound, whereby each is kept alert and caused to move rapidly when a rebound comes his way. Thus, a lively game ensues and the players are warmed up exactly as in a regular pepper game.

Obviously, when a pitcher is using it alone to improve his control, he may also improve his fielding by actually fielding all rebounds which come within his normal field ing zone. To a lesser extent, an entire infield could get practice from fielding all rebounds, provided the target is formed of sufliciently resilient or rigid material to cause rebounds fast enough to compare with actual batted balls.

It should be noted that each side border panel 21 or 22 is narrower than the height of the upper and lower border panels 19 and 20. A desirable arrangement is to provide each side border panel 21 or 22 with a width one half that of the central panel 18. This allows the pitcher a total of one half the target for corner pitches in lateral directions. The proportional height of the upper and lower border panels 19 and 20 is not as critical. In the embodiment illustrated their heights are greater than the widths of the side border panels 21 and 22. Considerable variance in actual height of the target as well as the heights of the upper and lower border panels is contemplated depending upon whether the target is intended for use with adults or various sizes of children. However, irrespective of the size of the targets or of the several panels thereof, the effect will be the same.

Moreover, while there has been shown and described what is now thought to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, I do not consider the invention to be limited to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove but only as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A practice device for baseball pitchers for use with a standard or simulated homeplate and pitchers box, comprising a rectangular target, means mounting said target in a vertical position above said home plate transversely of the same, said target having a width equal to that of said home plate, said target having free upper and lower edges defining the upper and lower limits of a strike zone, said target including a relatively wide central panel and fixed relatively narrower border panels completely surrounding said central panel, said border panels being rearwardly inclined relative to said central panel, whereby said target causes a ball thrown thereat from said pitchers box to rebound from said target in a direction commensurate with the panel struck thereby as modified by the angle at which said ball strikes said panel.

2. A practice device according to claim 1, wherein said central panel is rectangular and centered on said target, said border panels comprising four isosceles trapezoids, there being two opposed side border panels as well as opposed upper and lower border panels, said upper and lower panels merging with said side panels to provide outwardly and rearwardly inclined ridges.

Schonberg Oct. 14, 1924 Letarte June 13, 1939 

